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sWillie Nelson Owed The Government This Many Millions Of Dollars

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It's always surprising that such famous people let all of that build up
It's always surprising that such famous people let all of that build up / CreditRepairExpert

Beware the ides of April. Even before that date, paperwork piles up for taxes. Even when the volume of numbers isn’t a pain, sometimes they can hide unpleasant surprises. One shocking surprise lies with Willie Nelson’s finances. It turns out Willie Nelson and the IRS are something like ancestral rivals and the financial baggage between them is enormous.

You wouldn’t know by watching Nelson handle it, though. Grunge reports that Nelson made the most out of anytime the IRS brought him in to settle the score. He even had fun with it and signed autographs on the side. That might be a surprising scene by itself, but the amount Nelson owed the government is actually even more shocking.

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Willie Nelson versus the IRS

Willie Nelson's bus joined him on his way to work things out with the IRS, the better to sign autographs on the way
Willie Nelson’s bus joined him on his way to work things out with the IRS, the better to sign autographs on the way / Craigslist

Taxes can go by quickly or snowball into a massive migraine. Everyone wants to keep what they can of their hard-earned cash while saving responsibly for a comfortable future. It’s a difficult balance that’s made harder by tax season as a whole.

RELATED: Willie Nelson Sings Touching Song About The Reality Of Growing Older

Those with insane wealth generally give more up for tax season in a way that’s proportionate to their finances. But even taking this trend into account, Willie Nelson owed the IRS an incomprehensible amount. By the agency’s estimates, the singer racked up $32 million in money owed. Eventually, they seized his assets. That brought the bill down a bit… to a mere $16.7 million. Reportedly, he knew this seizure was likely and sent his guitar far away to stay safe.

It’s not all deliberate debt, though

When not accumulating money he owes the government, Nelson keeps himself busy with his music career
When not accumulating money he owes the government, Nelson keeps himself busy with his music career / The Independent

Sending his guitar Trigger to Hawaii was a calculated move. But this deliberate safety measure doesn’t fully represent how Nelson allocates his resources. As of last year, at least, his money stopped going towards smoking since he ditched the habit, according to CNN.

Additionally, he spends the money on noble causes. One such cause included rescuing seventy horses to keep safely on his ranch. When he’s not spending money on the good, the bad, and the absurd, he’s keeping himself busy with his career. He’s made a significant contribution to the music world, so it’s still incredible to think he would owe that much.

Very few people owed several millions of dollars like Willie Nelson
Very few people owed several millions of dollars like Willie Nelson / army.mil courtesy Clipart

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About Dana Daly

Dana Daly is DoYouRemember’s Editorial Manager. She has written and edited nostalgia stories and YouTube scripts for the site since 2019.